The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-18
THE FOREST HILL DISASTER
Traveller Who Thought the Bridge Was Out
of 0rder-The Builders Testimony.

BOSTON. March 1.-THE Railroad Commis-
sioners day resumed the investigation into the
causes of the Forest Hill accident. Edward
Lange, chief car-inspector, who has worked with
the company since 1S47 and held his present po-
sition since 1858, was the first witness. He said:
The cars on the Dedham branch were inspected
by two of my men every trip at Boston. They
do this every time, and examine the cars under
meath and outside"
George f. Folsom, superintendent of bridges,
testified that he had the care of the bridges of
the Providence road for twenty five years. He
examined all the bridges and every part of them
in fall and spring Every point is examined.
and the connecting rods are all sounded to see if
they are defective. The Busy bridge was per-
sonally and thoroughly examined by the witness
Feb. 10 last The bridge is one of peculiar
construction, because it is of many pieces. The
witness then gave a history Of the bridge and its
reconstruction into iron bridge. The brid ge
had a truss designed for 3 900 pounds per lineal
foot The truss was put in in 1876 After the
repairs were made to the old bridge it was tested
with two locomotives run slowly across the
bridge. Both engines were run over the south
truss and the average DETECTION GIG.
Each engine weighed "a 900 pounds. the tenders
"a 230, the water tanks 2l $50 and the coal g. 000
The hearing was resumed at 2lO P. NJ, and
the habit of visiting West Roxbury in the early
spring In the year 1882 riding under the
bridge, he noticed some loose nuts hanging down
from the bridge and rods from which the nuts
were broken off. He notified in the su
perinrendent's Office, and he said the matter
would be looked after He subsequently
ticed that the trains slowed down on the bridge
toa mans walking pace. Some time after he
noticed that the defect had not been remedied,
and more nuts were off, and he visited the su-
perintendent's office a second time. He was
told by the young man that he tBrock) was bor
rowing good deal of trouble about that bridge;
that the loose nuts had been found to be of no
consequence and tnat if he was afraid to ride
he had better walk.
Edmund II. Hewins of Boston, the builder of
the west truss, in 1876 testified that he was in
business for himself, although, hoping to form a
company, he adopted the name of Metropolitan
Bridge Company, but it was never formed He
was educated at the Lawrence Scientific School,
Cambridge. staying there in 1862 and 1863 then
going with the Detroit bridge and iron works,
designing bridges He designed the ,irawbrdge
of the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy railroad
over the Mississippi river. and several others on
that line and on the Illinois Central road, and
some on his own account elsewhere. The
Bussey bridge was tine last he built, and since
thon he had been engaged a consulting
engineer The main tension bars of the
Bussey bridge we're made by the Phoenix
Iron works; the balance of the work was made
by the Trenton, N. j., Iron Company, from his
designs. The bridge was peculiar, the ''skew'
being sharp at angle of twenty-one degrees,
The center of the truss being about with
the erd on the opposite side He then described
the dimensions technically 1t was intended TO
carry three thousand pounds to each lineal foot,
and WAS fully capable of that strain, and allow
Rrces were made for greater. The work
was done in conformity with the specifications,
and was tested by two locomotives and tenders.
stationary and moving at speed He thought
the greatest detection was iX-tenths of an inch.
A "skew" bridge more bother to build than
straight one. and costs more, but is more
dangerous The corner blocks were of cast iron.
The broken one was good for service to-day az
iteverwas Bridge builders do q OF always inspec.
every piece of iron that is put into their work,
though they may some of it. There are inspect
ors for that duty The Phoenix company, one OF
the largest in the country, follows that plan
No inspection of the Bussey bridge was made or
behalf of the company that he knew Of He
(Hewinsl inspected it as much as any bridge
that he had built. He was about the work otter
while it was in progress, and generally super
vised it. No tests were made of parts. except
by examination. The hangers in such po
stions that they could be only partially exam
ined That method of construction was com
monty fair, as he had observed He considered
it a correct form of construction. He supposed
that all builders exposed all parts of bridge
that they could. where it was necessary; in fact
it was desirable TO expose everything possible
where 1t would not interfere with more irupor
tant requirements. He consulted with George
: Folsom before determining the specifications
The only test made at the finish. The loon:
were made in accordance with others that hat
stood repeated satisfactory tests, though thos,
shown had not been tested.